Byland l



(No Model.)

R. L. TAFT. g v DEVICE FOR LETTING DOWN THE MAINSPRINGS 0F WATCHES. No. 340,386.

Patented Apr-.20, 1886.

Inuen tar fi K J the ratchet-wheel and pawl being beneath UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RYLAND L. TAFT, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGXOR TO THE ILLINOIS WATCH COMPANY,

DEVICE FOR LETTING DOWN THE MAINSPRINGS OF WATCHES.

OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 340,386, dated April 20, 1886.

Application filed January 9, 1886.

To (tZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RYLAND L. TAFT, acitizen of the United States, residing at Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vatehes; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to watches: and it consists in the novel construction andcombination of'parts, as will be hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure l is a view of the train side of the pillar-plate of a watch, showing the recess for the ratchet-wheel, pawl, and pawlspring therein. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 4 .c in Fig. 1.

In the manufacture and repairing of watches it is frequently necessary to let down the mainspring. In watches constructed as shown,

the barrel and in the pillar-plate, in order to let down the mainspring, if the watch is provided with a safety-pinion, a soft-wood stick is placed against the teeth of the barrel, which is then turned backward sufficiently to turn the safety-pinion on" from the threaded portion of the center-staff. The barrel is then allowed to turn slowly by holding the stick against the teeth thereof until the spring has been let down or opened out in the barrel. If the watch is not provided with a safetypinion, then the pallet of the escapement has to be taken out and the mainspring allowed to run down. In either of these methods there is great danger of injuring the watch.

The objects of my invention are to avoid this danger of injury, and to provide safe and convenient means for letting down the mainspring by withdrawing the pawl from the ratchetwheel.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and Serial No. 188,119. (N0 model.)

use the same, I append the following description of its construction and operation.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A designates the pillar-plate, B the ratchet-wheel, O the pawl, D the pawlspring, and E the let down comprising my invention.

In the pillar-plate A of the watch I drill a small hole, a, radially from the periphery of the plate. In this hole I place the pin E, having preferably two recesses, b c, in its upper face. Two recesses, however, are not absolutely necessary, as one recess will answer the purpose very well, it only being necessary to have a shoulder at each end of the pin E. Vhere two recesses are used, the larger one comes inside of the recess in which the ratchetwheel. and pawl are placed, and the smaller one is outside of the plate,where it will be most convenient. I then place the pawl C on its pin in the plate and in the larger recess, 0, in the pin E. This pin E is made short, so that it will not extend outside of the caseshoulder and interfere with the case. In order to have the small recess in the pin Eexposed conveniently,a recess, F, is made in the pillar-plate at the outer end of the pin 7 E, as shown in Fig. 1. The hole in which the pin E is placed, being partly below the bottom of the recess in which the ratchet-wheel and pawl are placed, forms a shoulder a little outside of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel. The end of the pin E wil strike against this shoulder, thereby preventing it from striking the teeth of the ratchet-wheel.

In letting down the niainspring my improve ment is used in the following manner: The pressure of the ratchet-wheel upon the pawl will be relieved bysl ightlyturning the windingshaft in the usual manner. Then asmall screwdriver or any other similar instrument that may be convenient should be inserted in the small recess in the pin E (or near the outer shoulder of the pin, where only one'recess is used) outside of the plate-pillar, and by prying across one corner of the recess F the pawl will he raised away from the ratchet-wheel. The mainspring may be then safely let down.

The operator will hold the pawl away from the ratchet-Wheel while the spring is being let down, and after this has been let down the screw-driver or other implement may be with- 5 drawn.

Having described this invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

The combination,with the notched and re- 10 eessed pillar-plate, of the ratchet-wheel B,

spring-pressed pawl G, and the pin E, having the recesses b c in its upper face, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

RYLAND L. TAFT. Witnesses:

THEO. MUNGEN, PHIL. O. MAsI. 

